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Sooke Compassion Planning Event

The Sooke Region Multi-Belief Initiative (SRMBI) invites all in Sooke to attend the second in a series of open-space meetings to collectively develop a realistic, achievable Compassion Action Plan (CAP) for Sooke.

The meeting is set for Saturday March 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Sooke Baptist Church, 7710 West Coast Road. All welcome, free admission. Refreshments will be served.

Nearly 50 participants attended Phase 1 workshop, which was held on Oct. 27, 2018. Following context-setting presentations from RCMP Constable Sam Haldane, the Sooke Food Bank’s Kim Kaldal, the Sooke Shelter Society’s Sherry Thompson and Jonny Morris, Director of Planning and Strategic Priorities for the BC Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, break-out groups brainstormed ideas. The SRMBI’s Mark Ziegler has assembled a plan based on these comments, suggestions and recommendations. The report can be downloaded here.

The goal of the March 2 session is to explore short and long-term strategic actions and identify opportunities for collaboration between community groups, agencies and individuals in the Sooke region.

“Much good work by local and regional organizations is already underway in all of these areas,” says Ziegler. “The question now is how can we do more as a community to support and further the efforts to deal with these deep-rooted and persistent issues?”

The Compassion Action Plan will be submitted to Charter for Compassion International as one part of a process leading to Sooke’s recognition as a “Compassionate Community,” one of approximately 400 world-wide.

District of Sooke council will be asked later this year to append the document to Sooke’s next Official Community Plan.